Babylon City redone
by Kanan
Summary: What goes on in the infinate fortress is dangerous business. One man learns that the hard way. When he fails to fufil his dream, he loses somethign, and it's the Get Backers job to get it back. But Ginji has more on his mind.


Disclaimer: I do not own the series of Get Backers, though I'm sure every fan girl in the world would want to own the very sexy Ban Midou!

Kanan: First of all, I am apologizing for the fact that I messed this up when I first tried to put the story up, cause my computer is screwy. It is fixed now. Thank you.

Babylon City

Another dark and quiet night; in a town that never sleeps. Things, and times since the days of the nutrias Volts, had never seemed so calm. He said that he didn't miss it, that he was better off, but did he really not miss his old life at all? He once ruled over all of lower town; there was not a person there who did not know his name. He still remembered what it looked like on the inside. The dark rooms, the long, cold corridors… but most of all, whenever he closes his eyes, he smells it all; the chipping paint on the broken buildings, the smell of a meal rightfully earned… but most of all, he smelled the blood. He hated that smell, and the memory that came with it. Whenever he started to smell that, alone, he knew it was better that he escaped while he could. Despite his feelings towards the evil tower in which he was raised, he once again opened his eyes and found himself staring at it.

The car belonging to the Get Backers had stopped dangerously close to the fortress that night- so close, in fact, that the blonde didn't need to close his eyes in order to smell the rot and blood and sorrow. It angered him that things had not changed, and it saddened him. It was his first home… but it was not meant to be. When he was the leader of the volts, he knew he could not live like that forever- he had to leave, but something kept holding him back. Those who followed him… for their sakes, he made a secret promise to help them up to the beltline, the next level up, and maybe to Babylon City, itself, but he ended up leaving before then. It was like breaking a bond, but they could not understand his reason for leaving. Even after he left he feared that his promise had grown too deep inside one of his closest friends. One who would not give up his journey to get to the top.

Ginji Amano clenched his fists into tight balls as he remembered what he, his dear friend, had told him no more than a month ago. He had approached the GB in the Honky-Tonk Café', where the duo usually hung out when off the job, and came right up to them. The three sat down on the barstools. Ginji was happily sipping at some hot cocoa while his friend stared down at the counter, and in one breath… he took his friend's breath away. With one thing…

"I'm going to try and make it to Babylon City again. I may not come back."

It's never an easy thing to say, but the fact that he was able to say it so calmly and normally, as if he had said anything else… but Babylon City…! He and Ban had not heard one bit of news since his friend left the café'. From the drivers' seat in the Lady-Bug, Ban stared hard at Ginji as the blonde contemplated his thoughts over the fortress again. Ginji opened his mouth to speak, but Ban already knew what ridiculous words would come tumbling out over his tongue.

"I have to go in there and find him."

Ban had heard it several times- every night since the man had left, in fact. Every time Ginji looked up to the tower, he had said it.

"Get in the car, Ginji. Lets find a place to sleep."

Each time those words were spoken by Ginji, these would come from Ban, as the brunette completely ignored the absurd statement. And each time…

"All right."

Ginji agreed, and tried to put it out of his mind.

This night, however, was not at all the same. As Ginji moved to his side of the car, he looked to Ban. The cigarette that he had placed in-between his lips had nearly fallen out and a look of utter horror was plastered over his face.

"What is it, Ban-chan?"

Ginji peered into his door's side mirror and he just barely saw what looked like a shadowy form fall down from the upper levels of the fortress. Ginji turned around and squinted his eyes to get a better look, and his complexion turned white as he saw that it was a body falling. Not just ANY body, even… The long brown hair, and lean physique gave a hint of who it could have been; it was the glint off of a thin thread flailing in the figures right hand that told Ginji that his worst fear had come true. The body fell, and landed on the Cement Street with a dull thud. He was only 150 feet away from where Ginji stood. Immediately, he started running to where the man had fallen, hoping beyond hope for some sort of miracle.

Ginji saw the carnage of it; he saw the pain and the blood, but it did not stall him in his step. The fallen man had blood all over him- bruises, too- and his right arm had been slashed deeply. Blood still flowed from the wound, which seemed to stretch down most to the full length of his arm. To Ginji's dismay, his eyes were closed and he was not moving. Ban finally caught up and watched as Ginji took off his long, green vest and tightly wrapped it around his bleeding-to-death friend. Then, said man opened his eyes just barely.

"Kazu! Kazu, speak to me! Tell me what happened to you!"

"Idiot, don't make his speak! He needs to save his strength. I'll make room in the car for him."

"He can take my spot, Ban; we just have to get him to a hospital!"

Ginji looked back at Thread Master Kazuki. The man's eyes were scanning the near area, looking cloudy, and with no recognition of anything.

"Kazu…? Hey…"

"I… I almost made it… I was really there, Ginji… I was in Babylon… Ci…t…"

And then the master of thread's eyes closed once more and his body went limp. Tears flowed from Ginji's eyes as he pulled his friend near his trembling body. Then, he lifted his head to the very top of the tower and yelling in a voice so loud that it called lightning down to strike the top of the fortress.

"Kazuki was my FRIEND, DAMN YOU!"

More to come…


End file.
